Favorites - 11 Villainous Characters Gone Good

“Everyone loves a good redemption story.”

I don’t know who said the quote, but it's a true one. While we sometimes like seeing folk be bad, we also like seeing them go good. You can look everywhere for this common trope as well. This list was actually what started the whole thing. I didn’t have to think hard about which heroic figures have gone evil, though. I did have to put a little more thought into this one. While some names popped into my head easily, others took a minute. These aren't necessarily my favorite characters and it’s not in any order, so let’s start off with someone really random.

1. Sami Brady (Days of Our Lives)

I know you’re looking at me weird, so let me explain. When I was younger, my grandmother was an avid watcher of Days of Our Lives. Guess what we more or less had to watch at about 2pm? We didn’t have another TV, so I had to do something with that time! If you’re wondering, no, I’m not a DOOL fan. I haven’t watched the show in years. I do glance at it at the YMCA if it's showing, though. Even though I’m not a fan, I can say I got fond memories of it. Sami wasn’t necessarily one of them.

To put it nicely, she was one… witch. She was usually scheming to get some dude. I think one of them was named Austin. Even when she got the dude, she’d screw it up somehow. She was pretty much the jealous sister of the show. After some time, I do remember her becoming less of a witch and turning into a somewhat nice person. I guess the writers or actress got tired of that constant role of villainess. I don’t know if she stayed that way since soap operas are a lot like comic books. I can say that Alison Sweeney did a good job with that role. The fact that I remember her says something. 

2. Vegeta (Dragonball Z)

I think it’s time to swerve away from the odd and look at “The Prince of all Saiyans!” When Vegeta came onto the scene, he was a straight-up bad guy. No one can doubt that. I don’t think anyone can forget what happened to poor Nappa, aka “Mr. Clean with a ‘Stache.” Even after his time on Namek where he allied with the heroes, he wasn’t a good dude. Vegeta was obsessed with being better than Goku and he even did some really stupid things because of his Sayian pride. When you let the evil android get stronger instead of taking him out earlier, you’re not exactly good, are you?

Even when Goku returned for the World Tournament years later, he was still a douche. He let himself be taken over by Babadi (some green thing?) and went on a rampage. It wasn’t until his own son was in danger that he actually began to look heroic. He sacrificed himself to take out Majin Buu and even though that Pepto Bismal-looking thing didn’t die, it was a noble sacrifice. Like all characters in the DBZ universe, he did come back but he came back different. He even put an end to his rivalry with Goku.

Favorites? - Nine Disappointing Casting Decisions in Comic Book Movies

This may come as a shock, but he's not on the list. There are worst ones after all.

When it comes to comic book movies, casting is key for success. While other factors can play into that success (writing, directing, etc.), a good cast is at least needed. A good cast can even help elevate a bad movie. At least a crappy movie can have someone who is giving a good performance. Most movies don’t get that. Even pretty good movies have some disappointing casting as well. While there are movies I really like that have good casting, there is usually one choice that baffles me at times.

Since we’re in the year of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (the casting is interesting), here are my nine disappointing casting decisions for comic book movies. Yeah, I’m using “disappointing” instead of “bad” or “worst.” I would go to ten but I just want to get to the good list quicker. I’m lumping all factors together for this one even if the actor is pretty good everywhere else. Sometimes, it’s not an actor’s fault that the role ends up being terrible. The list is not in order. I’m also only listing movies that I’ve actually seen fully, so no Green Lantern here. First, here are a couple of “honorable” mentions:

• Halle Berry as Catwoman – I’m giving this a break for two reasons. First, I actually haven’t seen all of it. I’ve only seen it in clips and do you really think I could sit through it all? Next, Halle Berry isn’t actually playing Selina Kyle. Yeah, that can be a thing against it, but at least the actual character isn’t associated with the movie. Besides, this one’s too easy for me to put on the list. 
• Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze (Batman and Robin) – It’s the Austrian Iceman himself. While it was one of the weirdest casting choices ever, Batman and Robin is so bad that it makes Mr. Freeze one of the high points to me. Seriously, the ice puns are so over the top, you kind of have to laugh at them. If you take the movie strictly as a comedy, his antics work. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about other actors in the movie… 
• Halle Berry As Storm (The X-Men films) – Man, I’m hating on Ms. Hotness today, ain’t I? While I like most of the X-films, I always thought her version of Storm came off as weak to me. It’s really jarring when you look at the rest of the cast. If there’s one character that should never come off as weak, it’s Storm. It could have been her, the direction, or both. I will say that she’s a little better in X-Men: The Last Stand… the one I kind of loathe. I just can't win with Halle. 

With those out of the way, let’s get done with this!

Top 36 Heroes - Part 1

Now that I’ve done a “Top Villains” list, I guess it would be good to do a “Top Heroes” list as well. So, what is a hero? The hero is described as someone of distinguished courage and ability. Sometimes, they’re well-regarded for their brave acts and upright qualities. The hero has so many good qualities that he or she is looked at as a model or and ideal. For me, there were a lot of people that I’ve looked up to as heroes.  Some examples include my dad, some uncles, Jesus Christ, and most figures from history.

Today, I’m talking about fictional heroes. They’re usually the protagonist, the leading character in some sort of story. They may even be the sidekick. Instead of doing honorable mentions for this part, I’m just extending the list to 36 heroes this time. Why stop at 36? It's simple. Forty’s too much and I’ll be turning 36 in about nine years. Anyway, it was originally going to be 30, but I just want to get as many of my favorites on the list. Besides, I have a lot more to say about heroes than I do about villains. So, let’s start this engine and go to warp factor 1!

36. Popeye

That’s right, folks! The sailor man with an addiction to spinach has made the list. All I know Popeye from are the 5 to 7 minute cartoons I used to watch when I was little. I kind of still enjoy them now. They’re just freaking hilarious. So, why did I choose Popeye? Well, that’s simple. It’s always fun to see him going up against some challenge in order to save that pole named Olive Oil. When the chips are down, all he needs is a little glob of spinach to strengthen those muscles back up and win the day. He’s probably the only hero on this list who’ll make you want to eat healthy, and that definitely something to admire about the character.